Business
A billionaire just launched a company to sell hotel reservations in space — and outdo NASA with a ‘monster’ space station
Robert Bigelow, who made his billions on the Budget Suites hotel chain, plans to launch two inflatable space modules in 2021 and fill them with people.
An illustration of two Inflatable Bigelow Aerospace B330 hotel likened together (Facebook/Bigelow Aerospace)
- On Tuesday, hotel billionaire Robert Bigelow announced the launch of Bigelow Space Operations.
- The new company will operate inflatable space stations called B330s, which are being developed by Bigelow Aerospace (a space hardware company).
- The first two B330 modules are slated for launch in 2021.
- BSO is also working with the International Space Station to carry its payloads.
- Bigelow hopes to build an inflatable space station more than twice as big as the ISS.
Robert Bigelow, who made his billions from the hotel chain Budget Suites of America, has officially launched a new spaceflight company called Bigelow Space Operations (BSO).
Bigelow, age 72, founded Bigelow Aerospace in 1999. That company develops space hardware and built an inflatable room, called the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, which NASA attached to the International Space Station in 2016.
Hotel mogul Robert Bigelow presents his plans to launch inflatable space station for tourists (Associated Press)
But the hotel mogul has grand ambitions to use BSO to commercialize space — and outdo NASA with a “monster” space station.
In 2021, BSO plans to launch two 55-foot-long inflatable modules, called B330-1 and B330-2, that link together to form a private space station. The new company wants to sell time aboard to countries in need of orbital laboratory space, as well as multi-million-dollar reservations to tourists seeking the trip (and hotel stay) of a lifetime.
“These single structures that house humans on a permanent basis will be the largest, most complex structures ever known as stations for human use in space,” the company said in a press release.
Bigelow Aerospace will maintain its role developing and making space hardware. Meanwhile, BSO will market its services in low-Earth orbit — a zone about 250 miles above Earth — to nations, corporations, and space tourists.
“From a human-use perspective, we’re at the very, very early beginnings of this,” Bigelow told reporters during a call on Tuesday.
What Bigelow Space Operations will do
A cutaway illustrations of a Bigelow B330 space station (Facebook/Bigelow Aerospace)
BSO is launching at an unprecedented moment for the space industry.
Over the years, NASA has handed over some control of space and astronaut research time on its space station to commercial companies. President Donald Trump has called for further privatization of the space station and proposed slashing the agency’s funding to an all-time low. Trump has also suggested that NASA pull out of the global program roughly three years early, in 2025.
Meanwhile, the cost of access to space is getting cheaper with the advent of new rocket systems. Lead among them is SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, which is now the most powerful operational launcher in the world following its successful test. (The price of a launch on that system undercuts the competition four-fold.)
Bigelow’s B330 space station modules can hold about six people. They would launch in a folded-up state, then be inflated with breathable air once deployed into orbit. Their thick white shields, made of impact-absorbing materials, would protect against space debris and radiation.
The units are “so diverse and so large,” Bigelow’s release said, “that they can accommodate virtually unlimited use almost anywhere.” Depending on the prices that SpaceX and other companies charge for flights, the per-passenger cost could be in the “low seven figures” though most likely in the “low eight figures,” Bigelow said. (NASA currently pays Russia about $81 million per round-trip to the ISS for its astronauts.)
Bigelow currently has a handful of people staffing BSO, but he expects to hire three to four dozen more this year. By the time the company is ready to send payloads to the ISS, he expects it to have as many as 500 employees working around the globe.
If the B330s prove successful, Bigelow wants to launch something even bigger, with just one rocket: A space station more than 2.4 times the volume of the entire ISS, which took decades to build.
“We call it the Olympus,” Bigelow said. “It will weigh about 75-80 metric tonnes on launch. It will be a monster spacecraft by any current standards, and we hope that’s something we can be seriously working on over the course of about eight to 10 years.”
Reading a fledgling market
NASA international space station
Construction of the ISS began in 1998 and is still underway, but the orbital laboratory is supposed to be de-orbited in 2028, after reaching its maximum safe lifespan.
Thus, BSO hopes to attract the same nations that fund the space station today and get them to invest in its newer, privately operated outfit.
The B330s wouldn’t have as many restrictions as the ISS, which designates most of its payload capacity to supplies and science experiments. With BSO’s space station, corporations and nations could try something more adventurous or zany in orbit.
“As badly as we’d like to open up a Budweiser [distillery] on orbit, I think that’s going to have to be deferred to a private-sector-operated station,” Bigelow said.
Bigelow is bullish about the potential of the B330s and his new company, but he also expressed concern that demand for his private space station may be weak or nonexistent after the spacecraft are launched.
“There’s a real lack of quality data that are telling us, ‘here’s what you really have globally in terms of a market.’ Everybody’s been talking about commercial this, commercialize that, and so on. Talk is easy,” he said.
What’s much more difficult, Bigelow said, is getting “people to fork over their money.” To that end, BSO is spending millions to conduct an exhaustive survey by the end of 2018.
“BSO’s research this year, I think, is foundational for everyone — for NASA, for our government, for even other competitors to Bigelow, to understand what the hell does a commercial market really look like, on a global basis, once and for all?” he said. “We’re going to be spending millions of dollars to try and get to that answer.”
Brewing uncertainty in low-Earth orbit
China’s space program is developing at a phenomenal space (AP)
Bigelow said he foresees two major problems for his plans to establish private space hotels and laboratories: China and NASA.
China is a threat because many of the 17 partners behind the $150-billion International Space Station are being “systematically courted” to invest in a new orbital laboratory that China may launch as soon as 2022.
“They’re offering very attractive terms and conditions and features that the commercial sector is going to have a horrible time trying to compete with,” Bigelow said.
NASA is an issue because, under President Donald Trump’s direction, the agency plans to pull out of the ISS in 2025, then invest roughly $3 to $4 billion per year in a deep-space gateway to help astronauts get to the moon and Mars.
“It’s going to be a political episode,” Bigelow said. “It needs to have a solution that needs to be worked on now in conjunction with the commercial space station players. This is a very serious problem.”
An art’s concept of NASA’S deep space
The core issue is that NASA has helped fund a nascent industry of private space companies, including SpaceX and Bigelow. It also provided a semi-permanent destination in orbit for the companies to work with: the ISS.
If NASA abandons the ISS for deep-space missions without figuring out new roles for the companies it has invested in, many could be left in the lurch.
“I get an uneasy feeling that there is not a plan, there is not something in place, to actually embrace all of the partners and say, ‘we have a future for you,'” Bigelow said. “There needs to be an alternative to them that’s attractive, and that needs to be a discussion that is administered by the White House in conjunction with NASA and in conjunction with companies like ourselves.”
If there isn’t a plan, and BSO’s research finds a stagnant market, Bigelow said he may keep the B330s on Earth indefinitely.
“We would pause, after developing two or three 330s, and they would be sitting on the ground, waiting for deployment if, in fact, the business simply wasn’t there,” Bigelow said, adding, “that would kind of be the worst-case scenario.” Business Insider
Business
As Nigerians Battle Pains Of Soaring Petrol Price
This is more than just about fuel; it’s about the larger picture of governance failure. The fact that a country as oil-rich as Nigeria can’t provide affordable fuel for its people is a tragedy.
BY IFEANYI MOGBOLU
The Daily Times-The latest fuel price hike in Nigeria is beyond frustrating. Every time we think it can’t get worse, it does, and yet again, ordinary Nigerians bear the brunt of it.
It’s like a never-ending cycle, where the government’s promises of reforms or stabilisation always end up as empty rhetoric. The cost of living is already sky-high, and now, with fuel prices rising again, transport fares, food prices, and basic commodities are bound to follow suit.
It’s enraging because it doesn’t feel like anyone is truly considering the everyday citizen who is struggling just to survive.
This is more than just about fuel; it’s about the larger picture of governance failure. The fact that a country as oil-rich as Nigeria can’t provide affordable fuel for its people is a tragedy. The subsidies are gone, and now we’re left in a situation where the prices of everything keep climbing, while salaries remain stagnant or non-existent for many.
The disparity between the elites and the masses is growing, and it feels like nobody in power truly cares about the suffering of the people.
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The anger isn’t just about fuel; it’s about the entire state of living. Nigerians are exhausted. There’s no sense of security; power supply is erratic, basic infrastructure is crumbling, and inflation is at an all-time high. How do we live like this? Every day is a battle to make ends meet, and the government seems utterly disconnected from the struggles on the ground.
It’s infuriating that while politicians and elites live in luxury, the rest of us are left scrambling for the bare minimum. The state of living is unbearable, and the lack of empathy or real action from those in power only adds salt to the wound.
There’s a deep sense of anger and betrayal that comes with seeing your country’s wealth mismanaged, while the people continue to suffer. It’s hard not to feel like we are constantly being taken for granted, pushed further into hardship without any hope of relief. Something has to give, because this state of affairs is unsustainable.
QUOTE:
The anger isn’t just about fuel; it’s about the entire state of living. Nigerians are exhausted. There’s no sense of security; power supply is erratic, basic infrastructure is crumbling, and inflation is at an all-time high. How do we live like this? Every day is a battle to make ends meet, and the government seems utterly disconnected from the struggles on the ground. It’s infuriating that while politicians and elites live in luxury, the rest of us are left scrambling for the bare minimum.
Business
Nigeria To Receive $5.600,000 From Bill Gates, For Health And Agricultural Reforms, GMOs
Alongside the activities surrounding the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York, Vice President Kashim Shettima held a meeting with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation leading to the announcement of the donation by the Foundation’s head of Global Development.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is giving Nigeria through Vice President Kashim Shettima, a $5.600,000 funds to speedy up health and agricultural reforms in favour of the GMOs in Nigeria, and flood relief.
Through the Foundation’s head of Global Development Programme, Dr Christopher Elias, Bill Gates pledged $5 million grant approved for Lagos Business School and partners to develop the agricultural economics they called “industrial cassava” and $600,000 for flood relief in Borno State and other health sector initiatives.
Alongside the activities surrounding the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York, Vice President Kashim Shettima held a meeting with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation leading to the announcement of the donation by the Foundation’s head of Global Development.
Recall that on 4 September, Bill Gates had described the Nigeria’s economy as “stagnated” and proposed agricultural reforms for faster and increased growths in crops, fruits, vegetables amongst others to enhance nutritional values of the Nigerian citizens through the agricultural sector.
In that meeting Chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Bill gates urged Nigeria to adopt “innovative crop varieties with shorter growing periods, higher yields, and better pest resistance” pointing to the GMOs to address the food crisis.
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Moreover, at the 79th UN General Assembly in New York, VP Shettima reaffirmed to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the commitment of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu prioritizing health, nutrition, and agricultural development in Nigeria’s national agenda.
In a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said: “we are deeply committed to addressing the pressing developmental challenges facing our nation, particularly the significant malnutrition crisis”.
He emphasised the Federal Government’s dedication and urgently working to secure locations for maize production under the Telemaze programme.
VP Shettima, promising swift action to the Gate’s Foundation on import permits for certified seeds, the VP said, “We recognize the critical importance of food security and industrial agricultural development. The Cassava Accelerator programme, in particular, holds immense potential for our economy.
“We are pursuing a whole-of-government approach to digitisation and data exchange systems, which we believe will revolutionise our public services,” he added while reiterating the government’s focus and commitment to digital transformation.
“With the expertise” of Nigeria’s ministers, “and the continued support of partners like the Gates Foundation,” the nation remains confident in its “ability to drive meaningful change and improve the lives of all Nigerians.”
In his response, President of the Global Development Programme at the Gates Foundation, Dr. Christopher Elias, said the Foundation is burdened with worries of the severe flooding in Borno, and is “committed to supporting Nigeria in times of crisis.”
Speaking of Polio, the Foundation said, “We’re impressed by the national task force’s efforts to eliminate variant polioviruses by year-end,” Dr. Elias noted.
Also, President of Global Growth & Opportunity Division at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rodger Voorhies, detailed plans for scaling up drought-tolerant maize production and advancing the Nigeria Cassava Investment Accelerator programme emphasizing that a $5 million grant has been approved for Lagos Business School and partners to develop the agricultural economics of industrial cassava.
In his words, “Industrial cassava presents a multi-billion-dollar opportunity for Nigeria,” Voorhees stressed.
He requested import permits for 5,000 metric tons of certified GMO maize seed to build a foundation seed system in Nigeria.
Business
Managing, Leading, Building Institutions And Sustainability
The two primary tasks of a top-level leader are to exploit and explore the organisation with people for now and in the future.
By Babs Olugbemi
One of my concerns for leaders is their capacity to be ambidextrous. Regardless of years of experience, knowledge, and leadership capacity, the lack of a clear distinction between managing and leading on the one hand, leading and building institutions on the second layer, and ultimately focussing on sustainability is a significant threat to successful leadership change.
I have followed events and people at C-suites, coached some, and developed frameworks for leadership development. Based on the personalities and styles of the new leaders, I have confirmed my fears about leadership sustainability in most African organisations.
“Successful leaders can aptly differentiate themselves and their roles without necessarily seeing activities as performance, focussing on what is required of them with appropriate tenacity and influence.”
The challenge for leaders is how to lead for the present and future without losing sight of the stakeholders’ immediate performance expectations. Successful leaders can aptly differentiate themselves and their roles without necessarily seeing activities as performance, focussing on what is required of them with appropriate tenacity and influence.
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In my walk as a leadership coach, I have keenly observed leaders who are managing rather than leading. Managing involves ensuring that processes achieve their intended outcomes. Leaders are above managing and should focus on creating an enabling environment for innovation, inventions, and team collaboration. The primary role in leading is not to monitor process outcomes, though critical to the company’s overall objectives, but to align corporate values with the people’s aspirations to create an engaged and ownership-thinking mindset ready to take on challenges and explore opportunities. An alignment of corporate and personal goals will not only deliver the present performance expectations. Still, it will also incubate innovations to adapt to future market demands and the sustainability of the business.
Unfortunately, the capacity for ambidexterity is rare and often marked by leaders’ exposure, approach and styles, perception, and perspective of their roles in the organisation. A leader with a wrong foundation in these areas is set for failure and awaits unfavourable decisions from the board of directors. A top-level leader might manage their teams instead of leading them. Not all leaders can combine leading for the present with building institutions. However, anyone able to submit themselves to an institution-building mechanism can champion sustainability. Aside from being a leadership coach, I help leaders achieve sustainability.
Mathematically, creating an ambidextrous organisation is beyond leading. It is to lead and build an institution that focuses on sustainability in all aspects of the organisation—employee fulfilment, customer retention, strategy effectiveness, performance evaluation, stakeholder management, process improvement, and goal congruence.
In a nutshell, the role of successful leaders in ambidextrous organisations is striking a balance between exploiting current assets and capabilities to ensure short-term success and allocating enough energy and resources to exploration to ensure future viability. The two primary tasks of a top-level leader are to exploit and explore the organisation with people for now and in the future. The two seemingly contradictory aspects—exploitation and exploration—encompass different strategies and processes and have different targets and outcomes (March 1991; O’Reilly & Tushman, 2004; O’Reilly & Tushman, 2013).
O’Reilly and Tushman described the two concepts as follows:
- Exploiting: Exploiting involves building on an organisation’s achievements and maximising returns on previous investments. It focuses on responding to current business demands to remain efficient and competitive within an established market niche, as well as on maintaining an existing customer base and stakeholder relationships. Examples of exploiting are activities focused on continuous improvement, benchmarking, and redesigning business processes.
- Exploring: Exploring focuses on expanding an organisation’s knowledge and capabilities, pioneering new products and services, and discovering and venturing into untapped markets.
The common area of practical bottlenecks in exploiting and exploring in organisations is a need for foundational trust and cohesion among the resources, especially the human capital, which are often treated as costs rather than assets to the organisations. Among all the factors of production, only humans can be ambidextrous with the capacity to think about changes in economic parameters and adjust their behaviours to match the time, content, and contextual requirements.
While organisations might have the resources to deploy in fighting competition, technology to obtain first-mover advantages, and production capacity to maximise output from input, none is compared with the potential of an engaged workforce.
Therefore, for leaders to be successful, they must refrain from operating in the realm of managing. They should operate in the capacity of institution builders, with the mindset of creating sustainable leadership and growth with people first and other factors of production second.
Consequently, only the leaders who prioritise their people over profits, pride, and organisational arrogance will be successful in the long term.
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